Consumer attitudes to genetically modified organisms in food in the UK

This paper reports a study of UK consumer attitudes to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food and the extent to which these attitudes translate into willingness to pay to avoid these products. The results indicate the relative importance of different aspects of the food system in forming food preferences, and that GM food is only one of a number of concerns, albeit a significant one. Attitudes towards organic food are found to be a useful indicator of attitudes towards GM technology, as the preference structure that underlies the former also appears to inform the latter. Significant differences are found between attitudes to GM food in which plants are modified by the introduction of genes from other plants and those in which plants are modified by the introduction of genes from animals and plants.